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Under the Tuscan Sun: (Christophe Beck) After spending two
years on the New York Times best-seller list, Frances Mayes' novel, "Under the
Tuscan Sun," was adapted to the big screen by director/screenwriter Audrey Wells
in late 2003. The film represented a return to Hollywood escapism from the days when
Mediterranean locations were the place of Americans' romantic dreams. In the story,
a successful, but recently divorced writer in San Francisco (Diane Lane in a role
that definitely didn't match her writhing nudity in the just previous
Unfaithful) struggles with writer's block, and she buys a run down Tuscan
villa as a project that could help her regain her writing inspiration. Along the
way, she is charmed by the scenery and people of the area, and the predictable flow
of the storyline leads to a pleasant, heartwarming movie-going experience. With the
humor and a subject matter rooted firmly in simple themes of romance,
Under the
Tuscan Sun is ultimately what most would refer to as a "chick flick," and
critics generally embraced it with moderate praise. Wells had collaborated with
composer Christophe Beck for one motion picture (
Guinevere) prior to
Under the Tuscan Sun, and she called upon him to combine the spirit of
American and Mediterranean music into one lushly romantic score for this occasion.
Beck was a veteran of mostly television work, best known for his Emmy award-winning
music for the very popular "Buffy" series, and that success was beginning to send
him on a journey for more feature film assignments. With a vow to make every one of
his new scores better than all of his previous efforts, Beck followed Wells' wishes
to weave three elements together into his score: the contemporary style of the
primary, modern character, the sensibilities of Nino Rota's typical music for the
genre, and a general personality suitable for the comic and romantic elements of
the light-hearted Italian lifestyle. The end result of his endeavors for
Under
the Tuscan Sun isn't polarized as much as one might think, with neither the
modern nor the traditional Italian aspects taking complete control of the music.
It's the definition of "playing it conservative" in the film music
industry.
The ensemble employed by Beck for
Under the Tuscan Sun is
very typical for this specific genre and setting. He begins with a partial
orchestra (heavy on the strings and including only four brass players) and spices
it up with solo roles for traditional guitars, a piano, accordion, several
woodwinds, and a boy soprano (heard specifically in two cues). With these players,
Beck chooses to form a textured score of pleasant ambience rather than one of
obvious, thematic domination. He walks the line between a foreign interpretation of
highly thematic Italian life (as expressed best by Rachel Portman in
Only
You) and the smaller-scale style of authenticity that you would hear in a
Nicola Piovani or Luis Bacalov score for the same genre (such as
Il Postino,
which is perhaps the best known such soundtrack in America). Despite the talk from
the director about three distinct styles in the score, the overarching approach is
a very consistent atmosphere that doesn't stray from its set personality, even in
the non-Italian locations. There is a hint of professionalism in the systematic
rhythms heard in the opening cue (not to mention a slight touch of Thomas Newman),
but for the most part, the Italian flavor is established right off the bat. With
the piano and guitars leading the way, Beck pleasantly offers one lightly textured
cue after another, occasionally including an accordion or keyboard over an
appropriately lazy rhythm. While he does present a handful of thematic swells
opposite the moments of anonymous, conversational material,
Under the Tuscan
Sun plays without the sense of grand scope that you might expect from the
setting. There is no overwhelming, memorable theme that lifts you up and transports
you to Tuscany, although Beck compensates just enough in the instrumentation and
rhythm of the music to suffice in convincing the listener of its authenticity.
Perhaps more troubling to the score is the lack of stylish swing, or true
Mediterranean spirit from the orchestral or solo performers. This is something you
hear the native Italian composers do with great ease, and whether the problem is
inherent in Beck's writing or simply in the performance of that composition,
Under the Tuscan Sun lacks a certain amount of pizzazz, energy, and
flamboyance that could have helped the score transcend the oceanic barrier between
cultures. Overall, it's still an easy listening experience, though not the most
convincing for a setting under the Tuscan sun.
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The insert includes a note about the score and film from director Audrey
Wells.
